India Held to Goalless Draw vs Bangladesh 2027 AFC Asia Cup

India’s national football team commenced their 2027 AFC Asian Cup qualifying campaign with a goalless draw against Bangladesh at Shillong’s Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium on March 25, 2025. Despite India’s higher FIFA ranking (126) compared to Bangladesh (185), the match was characterized by a lot of missed opportunities and defensive lapses from both the teams.

Offensive Struggles for Team India:

India’s attacks were sporadic, with Liston Colaco emerging as a notable threat due to his direct dribbling and set-piece deliveries. A significant opportunity arose from Colaco’s corner, which Subhasish Bose headed wide. Along with this, substitute Mahesh Singh provided a precise cross to Sunil Chhetri, whose header lacked the power to challenge the Bangladeshi goalkeeper.

Bangladesh’s Missed Chances:

Bangladesh frequently exposed vulnerabilities in India’s defense, particularly through Rakib Hossain’s runs against Sandesh Jhingan. However, their inability to convert these opportunities kept the scoreline level. They also missed a golden opportunity when India’s goalkeeper, Vishal Kaith, nearly gifted Bangladesh an early lead with a misplaced pass to opposition winger Mojibor Jony, who failed to capitalize on the chance.

Frustrated reaction from Indian coach Manolo Marquez:

The Indian team’s head coach Manolo Marquez expressed his disappointment towards the subpar performance from his team. He said, “I don’t want to talk too much, because I am very angry, disappointed with the performance of everyone, starting from the coach. This is not enough. Maybe this is the reality of Indian football. The positive is that we didn’t concede a single goal with the chances they created.” lashing out on the poor outing from his team.

Manolo Márquez

Indian captain, Sandesh Jinghan puts up social media post after the loss:

The Indian skipper Sandesh Jinghan put up a post on his official Instagram account, acknowledging the loss of his team and taking up responsibility for it. He said, ‘This was not a game which should have been a draw and we deserve all of your anger and disappointment. More than that I put up my hand first and say that I couldn’t play to my potential and I should be blamed the most. But this is not the end either, because as a nation we will never give up no matter what and we will give our mighty best to qualify for the Asian Cup again to make it our 3d consecutive qualification… We’re in this together, India.

Group Standings after the match-day:

The concurrent 0-0 draw between Singapore and Hong Kong means all four teams in Group C are level with one point each after their opening matches. India’s next fixture is an away match against Hong Kong in June, offering a chance to improve their standing in the group.